


Remedies

by RascalBot



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Illness, M/M, real smooth Zimmermann well done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-09 06:11:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1142423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RascalBot/pseuds/RascalBot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bitty is sick and miserable, and his teammates have only the best of intentions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remedies

"I'm _telling_ you, we have to lower his body temperature!" Ransom said authoritatively, yanking the bedclothes up and off the mattress.

"But look at him, he's shivering!" Holster argued, keeping a firm grip on his side of the blankets and trying to haul them back down.

"That is because people shiver when they have high fevers!" Ransom retorted, flinging the blankets skyward.

"Then we should be keeping him warm so the fever doesn't get its way!" Holster insisted, pulling them back to the bed.

For Bitty, who was already somewhat delirious, it was rather like sitting in a wind sock.

It was actually sort of sweet, he reflected through a feverish haze, as the battle over his bedclothes escalated to pillow fighting.  His teammates' concern - Bittle had given it some consideration and determined that it was genuine concern and not some sort of bizarre hazing ritual - had manifested itself in strange ways, but it was touching to know that they would run to the South end of campus at such an ungodly hour of the morning so they could see him before practice started.  

Shitty was lounging on Bitty's roommate's bed, flipping through the copy of _Halo: The Cole Protocol_ he'd found under the pillow.  "Bro, you know you can come and stay up at the Haus with us," he said, peering critically at a dog eared page.  "I mean, we got a couch, we got blankets, and we sure as shit got better cultural taste than this guy.  Where is he, anyway?"

"I think he sleeps at the computer lab sometimes," Bittle croaked, giving a nod to his roommate's piles of dirty laundry and untouched 18th Century Literature textbook that were the only signs of life he'd had from that side of the room all semester.  "I saw him yesterday.  He's probably staying away so he doesn't get sick."

"Well, bro, it sounds to me like he's ignoring the roommate code," Holster chimed in, struggling to keep Ransom in a headlock.  "You know, you're living with a guy, the least you can do is toss him a can of soup when he's got the flu."

"Lucky for you, you've got us to fill in, ya li'l fucker," Shitty said fondly, rolling off his perch to punch Bitty companionably in the arm.  "We're here to offer you all our own remedies."  

Bitty glanced around his side of the room.  So far, the boys' "remedies" consisted of half a bag of twizzlers, a six pack ("You know what they say, bro! Plenty of fluids!") and Shitty's herbal cure for just about anything ("Give it a try, Bits, it's medicinal").  

"I don't know what to say," he managed, before another coughing fit squeezed the words out of his chest.  His teammates quickly stepped aside while he hacked up a lung.

"Listen, Bits, we gotta get to practice," Shitty said apologetically once the coughing subsided.  "But we'll stop by again between classes, just to make sure you aren't dead."

Bitty waved them away.  "I don't want y'all getting yourselves sick on my account," he rasped.  "I'll be just fine."

"Bitty, please."  Ransom smiled down at him.  "We're all immune to your puny frog diseases by now."

"And besides," Holster added, "We take the roommate code very seriously."

"We'll bring you some food," Shitty promised, as the three of them slid into the hallway. 

Bitty raised a hand, unable to suppress a smile.  "Bye now."

He rolled onto his side as the door clicked shut, pulling the bedclothes up around his chin.  Something told him that Ransom was right about body temperature, but he was never going to get back to sleep if he kept shivering the way he was.  It wasn't as though his dorm room was a well insulated haven of warmth, anyway.  

Bitty could feel himself drifting off when there was another knock at his door.  "It's open," he called, causing another spasm of coughs to wrack his system.

The door swung open just enough for Jack to sidle through.  "Hey, Bittle."

Great.  He'd always wanted his hard-ass team captain to see him snot nosed and feverish.  "Hey, Jack.  Sorry I have to miss practice."

Jack held up a hand.  "Don't worry about it, man.  I was just, you know, passing by. Thought I'd come see how you were doing."

Bittle coughed some more.  "Well, I haven't died just yet."

"That's a good start."  Jack gave him a lopsided smile.  "Oh, yeah, I, uh, found this lying around..." He reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a plastic bear-shaped container.  "I just found it and, you know, it's supposed to be good for flu, so..."

"Honey!"  Bitty smiled delightedly.  He thought he saw Jack's adam's apple bob vigorously in his throat, but he was still pretty delirious.  "That's amazing, you know, I was just thinking about how I have my electric kettle and lemon tea but no sweetener since all my sugar's back at the Haus, and honey, you know, I just can't get enough of it, it's my favorite--" he broke off as another coughing fit overtook him.

"Right."  Jack strode over and placed the plastic bear on Bittle's headboard.  "Well, it's all yours.  I hope it helps." 

"Thanks, Jack."  Bittle fell back onto the pillows.  "Seriously, that's really great."

"Well, I have to get to practice.  So."  Jack backed toward the door.  "I, uh, I hope you feel better soon."  

"I'll see you later," Bittle answered.  "Have a good practice."

Jack stood silhouetted in the doorway for a moment, then was gone.

Smiling to himself, Bittle snuggled back under his blankets, the plastic honey bear looking down on him.  As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered vaguely why Jack would be passing through the South end of campus on his way from the Haus to Faber.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I just realized, a couple days after posting this, that my hours spent considering what Bitty's dorm room might look like were A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME WE'VE SEEN HIS ROOM IT'S IN MOST OF THE COMICS.


End file.
